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Wellston, Ohio
Inside Wellston's city limits, a shallow water table limits basements on 77% of mapped land, the 2nd-highest of 4 cities in Jackson County. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 15%, the highest of 4 cities in Jackson County.
That water-table share is above Jackson County's 53%. FEMA's flood data list 1 flood losses since 2016 in ZIP code 45692 overlapping the city. Of its 2,325 homes, 61% were built before 1980; the median dates from 1974.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources · in Jackson County
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
flood losses since 2016 in 1 overlapping ZIP
of homes built before 1980
Basement waterproofing in Wellston
Basement waterproofing in Wellston: a shallow water table limits basements on 77% of Wellston's mapped land, more than in 63% of Ohio cities, and the ZIP code overlapping Wellston logged 1 FEMA flood losses since 2016.
About 1,600 of Wellston's 2,325 homes are detached houses.
Soil under Wellston city limits
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 15.2% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 77.0% |
| Septic fields very limited | 93.6% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 3.5% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 15.0% |
| Mapped soil | 4,508 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Omulga | 24% | 99% |
| Wharton | 17% | n/a |
| Latham | 9% | n/a |
| Piopolis | 7% | n/a |
| Wyatt | 6% | n/a |
| Rarden | 6% | n/a |
What the numbers mean here
Clay swell averages a linear extensibility of 3.5% by land area here, and 15% of the land reaches USDA's high class (6% or more). Clay like that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, under 15% of the mapped land.
On 77% of Wellston's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
USDA rates 94% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought in Jackson County
0% of Jackson County is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. County detail.
Flood losses by ZIP code
FEMA flood records since 2016 in the ZIP codes that overlap Wellston. ZIP areas reach past city limits.
| ZIP | Share of city land | Flood losses | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45692 | 100% | 1 | $50,903 |
Homes in Wellston
| Housing units | 2,325 |
| Median year built | 1974 |
| Built before 1980 | 61% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 71% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $124,000 |
| Single-family detached | 70% |
Nearby cities
Sources: USDA SSURGO (August 5, 2026) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status